About Off the Beaten Path, LLC - The Tour Company & Owner
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Award winning Off the Beaten Path Tours voted BEST small group tours in France for active travelers by Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes Traveler, CNN Traveller, The New York Times and Travel & Leisure!
Not Just a Tour: It's an Authentic Off the Beaten Path French Experience...
Unrivaled expertise within France set Off the Beaten Path, LLC a part from non-France based and multi-destination tour companies. We are American owned and operated. And for over 15 years, we have been offering engaging trips in France that offer the best and most inspiring itineraries throughout the French countryside. France is our sole focus and our specialty! Travelers and publications alike rate Off the Beaten Path Tours the BEST active, small group tours in France. Whether you're a seasoned small group tour traveler or new to the small group tour scene, Off the Beaten Path tours offer fun and enriching local French experiences and activities for everyone, experiences and activities that are not available to the public or other tour companies.
Expert Professional American guides who live in France, inspiring itineraries, luxurious, historical hotel accommodations, sumptuous French meals and comfortable transportation by private minivan are immutable standards on every Off the Beaten Path Tour. Each tour itinerary is comprised of a variety of engaging activities and enriching experiences for you to authentically discover the heart and soul of each region. You'll participate in cooking classes with our friends who are celebrity master and Michelin-star chefs and who look forward to your arrival and make you feel welcome in their homes and workshops as a group of friends. Shop at weekly village markets where we'll introduce you to our favorite olive oil and wine producers, cheese-makers, herb and spice vendors, craftsmen and designers. Walk the same countryside and vineyard trails as local French do with their families, and enjoy the slow road scenery that comes with walking the back country trails through vineyards, olive and fruit orchards and small historic villages. Tour castles, pre-historic caves and other historical monuments with our knowledgeable, professional Guides. Dine in the same gourmet restaurants and bistros as local French do, where the chefs are our personal friends, and set aside a special table uniquely to welcome you. Plus, built in leisure time provides you opportunities to pursue independent interests.
Every tour offers daily options with varying levels of activeness to choose from, so you always have the flexibility of deciding how you would like your day to unfold. Your Guide sits down with your group every morning to discuss the activities, events and options of the day. With so many options available during each tour, we ensure you the flexibility to be as active as you want (more walking, less walking, shopping time, etc.) and to be able to pursue your independent interests all while still enjoying the perks of traveling in a small group -- meaning we take care and manage the daily logistics and details while you spend your time on the important stuff--having fun, relaxing and enjoying your vacation your way. The idea behind each Off the Beaten Path, small group tour is to appeal to the discerning traveler of all ages and backgrounds who seeks something new and different, and who wants to reach out and discover something inspiring.
LOIRE VALLEY TOUR BROCHURE (Adobe pdf) • PROVENCE TOUR BROCHURE (Adobe pdf) • BORDEAUX TOUR BROCHURE (Adobe pdf)
CHAMPAGNE TOUR BROCHURE (Adobe pdf) • DORDOGNE TOUR BROCHURE (Adobe pdf)
How it All Began - About the Owner of Off the Beaten Path, LLC
An American raised in the countryside just outside of Philadelphia, PA, Christy Destremau's story begins over 15 years ago when she settled in Provence, France and married her French beau in a traditional Provencal ceremony. Equipped with an extensive education and background in French history, language and international relations, plus a clear understanding of French culture and traditions, Christy launched Off the Beaten Path, LLC in response to encouragement from family and friends who admired both her passion for and knowledge of this historically and culturally rich country.
As a long term resident of France, Christy Destremau is multi-lingual, holds dual nationality (American-French citizenship) and currently resides near the Loire Valley, France. Her extensive network of professional and personal connections in France are the key to her successfully creating itineraries that constantly set her small group tours well above and a part from other tours offered by companies based outside of France. Christy spends her off season traveling around the country meeting with her professional and personal French friends to develop new ideas and prepare new excursions and activities for the upcoming season. She is considered a leading authority on French history, traditions and culture, and has authored and edited travel articles about France for prominent travel magazines worldwide. Christy is currently working on an insider's guide to the best cafes, brasseries and restaurants in France that includes a section featuring her all time favorite French Chefs.
Whether travelers join a regularly scheduled, small group tour to the Loire Valley, Provence, Bordeaux wine country, Dordogne or Champagne, or participate in a custom designed tour to one of these regions or another region of France, Christy ensures that each itinerary is inspiring, and that each traveler's experience is unique and personalized. You'll find testimonials of guest satisfaction sprinkled throughout the website.
In addition to leading many tours herself, Christy has selected a handful of tour guides to work alongside her. Like Christy, all Off the Beaten Path guides are Americans with dual nationality (American-French citizenship), are multi-lingual and reside in France. They also bring a wealth of local information and history to enrich each guest's experience, and have personally been selected by Christy for their comprehensive understanding of French culture. You will find that Christy and her team of guides are wonderful traveling companions, whose knowledge and sense of fun and positive attitude make each day a wonderful experience.
2010 Tour Dates and Prices • 2011 Tour Dates and Prices
We've made sample photo albums of our Loire Valley, Provence and Bordeaux Tours to give you an idea of what to expect on Off the Beaten Path tours, as each day unfolds one scene, one activity at a time.
- Loire Valley: Sample album compiled of photos from several recent Loire Valley tours (opens in a new window)
- Provence: Sample album compiled from several recent Provence tours (opens in a new window)
- Bordeaux: Sample album compiled from several recent Bordeaux tours (opens in a new window)
Tour Guest Testimonials:"A short note to tell you how much I enjoyed the Provence trip and our guide. Her experience, wonderful, upbeat personality, as well as her extensive knowledge of the region made the week both educational and fun! The walk in Cassis, trying "moules frites," the cooking classes, lunch with Marc and talking about French life and culture were wonderful. I will definitely recommend your company to my friends and family, and don't be surprised if you see me on your Loire Valley trip sometime in the next year or two!" Barbara Teiger, Bloomfield, CT (Best Adventures in Provence Tour) "Our trip was so much more than we expected, very personalized and I had such a wonderful time!! Our Guides were exceptionally knowledgeable about the region, French history, cuisine, culture and wine... I loved everything we did from the cooking class and wine tasting to all the castles we visited and the hot air balloon ride. The week was exciting and fun..." Linda Sites, Los Angeles, CA (Loire Valley Tour) EMAIL US or CALL 1-877-846-2831 to speak with one of our tour specialists. |
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